Tea Forte Advent Calendar: Day 11 - Black Currant

 


I was ecstatic when I opened the little door for the 11th. 


YES!  I love Black Currant tea!  Now, not all Black Currant blends are created equal of course...


.... and I must admit at this time that it wasn't the write up on the bottom of the box that gave me the confidence to know with 100% certainty that I was going to enjoy this cup.

The confidence and surety came from this:


Yup, that's an ENTIRE box of this blend - and it's only about half full.  I've already enjoyed the first half of the box.  In point of fact, my enjoyment of this Black Currant blend was the driving impetuous behind choosing Tea Forte as my calendar this year.  I figured if they could make a successful Black Currant blend as much as I like this one, than 24 days of their tea would be an enjoyable journey.


Because I'm so familiar with this tasty blend, I didn't bother to taste it straight off the steep.  I know from experience that I enjoy this blend with a touch of cream.  I don't think it needs any sugar though - especially when I'm pairing it with the salted caramel shortbread square that my shortbread calendar offered up as the random pairing.


The shortbread did fun things to the tea.  The butter of course complimented the cream nicely, but the shortbread also brought the flavor from the blackberry leaves out of the end and mid notes and more to the top note.  I found that I enjoyed having that floral note more forward because it gave the tea a creamier finish. Usually I drink this with buttered toast, or toast with black currant jam to really make the black currant flavour pop.  I hadn't paired it with a cookie before.  I'm going to have to try pairing it with more sweet things because it cuts the sweetness a bit and would probably allow me to enjoy a few things that I would find too sweet otherwise.


Final thoughts:  I already had plans to replace my stash of this blend once I ran out - my plans have not changed.

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